Disk drive device for rotating a disk

ABSTRACT

In the brushless motor, a magnetic recording disk is to be mounted on a hub. A base plate rotatably supports the hub on the upper surface. A laminated core is fixed on the upper surface of the base plate and has a ring portion and a plurality of teeth that extend radially from the ring portion. Coils are wound around the plurality of teeth. A cylindrical magnet is fixed to the hub and is magnetized for driving with a plurality of poles along the circumferential direction and is arranged to radially face the plurality of teeth of the laminated core. A wire of one end of one of the coils is drawn out to the bottom surface of the base plate through a hole arranged on the base plate. The wire is connected to a driving line for supplying a current to the coils at a position other than the position of the hole on the base plate. The hole of the base plate is plugged with a resin.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 13/632,868,filed on Oct. 1, 2012, which is a divisional of application Ser. No.12/689,206, filed on Jan. 18, 2010, U.S. Pat. No. 8,278,791, issued Oct.2, 2012 which claims priority from JP2009-062787, filed on Mar. 16,2009, incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a disk drive device for rotating adisk.

2. Description of the Related Art

A hard disk drive is known as a medium used as a storage device in acomputer. In a hard disk drive, a magnetic recording disk on whichrecording tracks are formed is rotated at high speed by a brushlessmotor disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No.2008-61331. A magnetic head is placed against the surface of themagnetic recording disk with a slight distance between them for thepurpose of reading/writing magnetic data contained in the recordingtracks.

In recent years, Magneto-resistive elements (hereinafter referred to as“MR elements”) are widely used for magnetic heads since they areadvantageous in terms of realizing a higher density. It is known thatThermal Asperity failure (hereinafter referred to as TA failure) mayoccur with regard to these MR elements.

TA failure is a failure in which the resistance value of the MR elementchanges instantaneously due to the instantaneous cooling or heating ofthe MR element, and the change in the resistance value of the MR elementappears as noise in the read-out signal. One of the reasons for theinstantaneous heating is that fine particles collide with the MR elementwhile the magnetic head traces the recording track. The MR element isheated instantaneously due to the energy of the collision.

The term “particles” refers to, for example, dust in the air, shavedparticles from a surface of a component, pieces of a whetstone, oroils-and-fats.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Research by the present inventors indicates that TA failure may occurbecause particles of a size of 0.1 μm to only a few micrometers floatingin the air stick to the surface of the magnetic recording disk.

Generally, the region of a hard disk drive in which the magneticrecording disk is placed is sealed after it is filled with clean airthat is produced by removing particles, etc. However, if, for example, aleak occurs at a drawing-out hole for a wire of a coil arranged on thebase plate, particles outside may enter in the region on the magneticrecording disk's side, and this may cause a TA failure.

A similar issue may be present in the other types of the disk drivedevices.

The present invention addresses these disadvantages, and a generalpurpose of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a diskdrive device that reduces the leak from the drawing-out hole for thewire of the coil arranged on the base plate.

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a disk drive device.This disk drive device comprises: a hub on which a recording disk is tobe mounted; a base rotatably supporting the hub on one surface of thebase through a bearing unit; a core fixed onto said surface of the base,the core having a ring portion and a plurality of teeth that extendradially from the ring portion; coils wound around the plurality ofteeth; and a magnet fixed to the hub, the magnet being magnetized fordriving with a plurality of poles along the circumferential directionand arranged to radially face the plurality of teeth. A wire at one endof one of the coils is drawn out to the other surface of the basethrough a hole arranged on the base. The wire is connected to a drivingline for supplying a current to the coils at a position other than theposition of the hole arranged on the base. The hole arranged on the baseis plugged with a resin.

The term “disk drive device” may refer to a device for driving arecording disk or, more specifically, a brushless motor.

Optional combinations of the aforementioned constituting elements andimplementations of the invention in the form of methods, apparatuses, orsystems may also be practiced as additional modes of the presentinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, withreference to the accompanying drawings, which are meant to be exemplary,not limiting, and wherein like elements are numbered alike in severalfigures, in which:

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of the brushless motor according tothe first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a partial bottom view of the brushless motor according to thefirst embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a partial cross-sectional view of the brushless motoraccording to the related art;

FIG. 2B is a partial bottom view of the brushless motor according to therelated art;

FIG. 3A is a partial cross-sectional view of the brushless motoraccording to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3B is a partial bottom view of the brushless motor according to thesecond embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4A is a partial cross-sectional view of the brushless motoraccording to the third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4B is a partial bottom view of the brushless motor according to thethird embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5A is a partial cross-sectional view of the brushless motoraccording to the fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5B is a partial bottom view of the brushless motor according to thefourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a partial cross-sectional view of the brushless motoraccording to the fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6B is a partial bottom view of the brushless motor according to thefifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the brushless motor, inparticular near the hole arranged on the base plate, according to thevariation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention will now be described by reference to the preferredembodiments. This does not intend to limit the scope of the presentinvention but to exemplify the invention. The size of the components ineach figure may be changed in order to aid understanding. Some of thecomponents in each figure may be omitted if they are not important forexplanation.

Preferably, an embodiment of the present invention is used for abrushless motor that is installed in a hard disk drive and that drives amagnetic recording disk, in particular, for a brushless motor of a harddisk drive using the MR element for the magnetic head.

The First Embodiment

In the brushless motor 100 according to the first embodiment of thepresent invention, a wire 72 of one end of a coil 70 is drawn out to abottom surface 50 b of a base plate 50 through a hole 54 arranged on thebase plate 50. The wire 72 of said end of the coil 70 is connected to adriving line or driving wiring 106 at a position other than the positionof or on or above the hole 54. Further, in the brushless motor 100, thehole 54 is plugged with a resin 102 in order to keep it airtight. As aresult, electrically connecting the driving line 106 and the wire 72 canbe performed independently from sealing the hole 54 of the base plate50, thereby the reliability of each act can be increased.

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of the brushless motor 100 accordingto the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a partialbottom view of the brushless motor 100 according to the first embodimentof the present invention. FIG. 1B is a bottom view of the brushlessmotor 100 according to the first embodiment of the present inventionnear the hole 54 of the base plate 50. FIG. 1A is the view that issectioned along the line A-A, as illustrated in FIG. 1B.

The brushless motor 100 is installed in a hard disk drive and rotatestwo magnetic recording disks 200. The brushless motor 100 comprises asubstantially cup-shaped hub 10, a shaft 20, a flange 22, a yoke 30, acylindrical magnet 40, a base plate 50, a laminated core 60, coils 70, asleeve 80, a plate 90, lubricant 92, a resin 102, and a Flexible PrintedCircuit (FPC) 104. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the side of the baseplate 50 on which the hub 10 is installed is the “upper” side.

The side of the base plate 50 at the upper surface 50 a (i.e., the sideon which the magnetic recording disk 200 is placed) is filled with cleanair that is produced by removing particles, etc. The chassis of the harddisk drive on which the brushless motor 100 is installed is formed sothat the side of the base plate 50 at the upper surface 50 a is sealed.

The hub 10, the shaft 20, the flange 22, the yoke 30, and thecylindrical magnet 40 form a rotor, and these components rotate as aunit around the rotational axis R of the motor when the brushless motor100 rotates. One end of the shaft 20 is fixed in a hole located at thecenter of the hub 10 by using both press-fit and glue. The flange 22 ispress-fit against the other end of the shaft 20.

A cylindrical portion 12 of the hub 10, which has the shape of stickingout upward, is fit into the central holes of the two magnetic recordingdisks 200. A ring-shaped first spacer 202 is inserted between the twomagnetic recording disks 200. A clamper 206 presses the two magneticrecording disks 200 and the first spacer 202 against the hub 10 via aring-shaped second spacer 204 in order to fix them together. The clamper206 is affixed to the top surface 10 a of the hub 10 by a plurality ofclamping screws 208.

The yoke 30 has a reverse L-shaped cross section and is made of amagnetic material such as iron. The yoke 30 is press-fit against thelower surface of the hub 10. The cylindrical magnet 40 is glued onto theinner surface of the yoke 30. The cylindrical magnet 40 is made of arare-earth material such as Neodymium, Iron, or Boron. The cylindricalmagnet 40 faces radially towards twelve teeth of the laminated core 60.The cylindrical magnet 40 is magnetized for driving with eight polesalong the circumferential direction. The surface of the cylindricalmagnet 40 is treated for preventing rusting by electro depositioncoating or spray coating.

The base plate 50, the laminated core 60, the coils 70, the sleeve 80,and the plate 90 form a stator. The stator rotatably supports the rotorwhen the brushless motor 100 rotates. The base plate 50 is a part of thebase of the hard disk drive. The base plate 50 has a cylindrical portion52 of which the center is the rotational axis R of the motor. The sleeve80 is glued onto the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 52. Thesleeve 80 accommodates the shaft 20. The plate 90 is glued onto theflange 22 side surface of the sleeve 80.

It is to be noted that the base plate 50 may be made separately from thebase of the hard disk drive.

The base plate 50 is produced by at least the following two steps: 1)die-casting an alloy of aluminum into a form of the base plate 50; and2) forming a film for insulation (hereinafter referred to as aninsulating film) on at least a part of the surface. It is preferred inlight of the thinness and the film strength that the insulating film isformed by cation electrodeposition coating of an epoxy resin.

The lubricant 92 is injected in a region in between part of the rotor(the shaft 20 and the flange 22) and part of the stator (the sleeve 80and the plate 90). The shaft 20, the flange 22, the lubricant 92, thesleeve 80, and the plate 90 constitute a bearing unit that rotatablysupports the hub 10. The base plate 50 rotatably supports the hub 10through the bearing unit on the upper surface 50 a.

A pair of herringbone-shaped radial dynamic pressure grooves 82 that arevertically separated from each other are formed on the inner surface ofthe sleeve 80. A first herringbone-shaped thrust dynamic pressure groove24 is formed on the upper surface of the flange 22. A secondherringbone-shaped thrust dynamic pressure groove 26 is formed on thelower surface of the flange 22. The rotor is axially and radiallysupported by the dynamic pressure generated in the lubricant 92 by thesedynamic pressure grooves when the brushless motor 100 rotates.

A capillary seal 98, where the gap between the inner surface of thesleeve 80 and the outer surface of the shaft 20 gradually increasesupward, is formed on the opening side of the sleeve 80. The capillaryseal 98 prevents the leakage of the lubricant 92 with the capillaryeffect.

The laminated core 60 has a ring portion and twelve teeth that extendout radially from the ring portion. The laminated core 60 is formed bylaminating eighteen thin electro-magnetic steel plates and mechanicallyintegrating them. An insulation coating is applied on the surface of thelaminated core 60 by electro deposition coating or powder coating. Eachof the coils 70 is wound around one of the twelve teeth, respectively. Adriving flux is generated along the teeth by applying a three-phasesinusoidal driving current through the coils 70. The inner surface ofthe ring portion of the laminated core 60 is fitted to the outer surfaceof the cylindrical portion 52 with press-fit or clearance fit and gluedthereon.

The coils 70 are formed by winding a wire by a necessary number of timesaround each tooth of the laminated core 60. The wire starts to be woundaround a tooth from under the tooth. Then, the wire is subsequentlywound around the next tooth above the tooth, the next tooth belonging tothe same electrical phase, in three-phase driving, as that of theprevious tooth. The wire at the end of the winding process is drawn outonto the lower side of the teeth. In doing so, a middle section of thewire at the end of winding process is glued onto one tooth with glue 74.This may prevent the wire at the end of winding process from becomingdisheveled. It is less possible for the wire at the end of windingprocess to be cut due to resonant vibration in the case where thebrushless motor 100 is cleaned by ultrasonic cleaning.

The wire (hereinafter referred to as a wire 72 of one end of the coil70) at the end of the winding that is drawn out, as above, is drawn outto the side of the base plate 50 at the bottom surface 50 b through thehole 54 arranged on the base plate 50. The wire 72 of one end of thecoil 70 is bent above the hole 54 and is connected to the driving line106 of the FPC 104 that is put on the bottom surface 50 b of the baseplate 50. One end of the FPC 104 to which end the wire 72 is connectedis located at a predetermined distance L away from the edge of the hole54. The predetermined distance L is determined by experiment.

FPC 104 has a structure that is formed by laminating, in order, astrip-shaped insulation film 108, a strip-shaped driving line 106, and aprotecting film 110. The insulation film 108 is put on the bottomsurface 50 b of the base plate 50 by a double-stick tape. The drivingline 106 is insulated against the bottom surface 50 b of the base plate50 by the insulation film 108. The protecting film 110 is peeled off andthe driving line 106 is exposed to the outside at the portion of the FPC104 that is close to the hole 54. The driving line 106 supplies thedriving current to the coils 70 from a driving circuit (not shown in thefigures).

A liquid-like resin 102 is injected into the hole 54 of the base plate50 and cured in order to keep the airtight quality of the side of thebase plate 50 at the upper surface 50 a where it is filled with cleanair. The resin 102 is filled in the hole 54 so that it closes the hole54. The resin 102 is applied so that the resin 102 covers the connectionbetween the driving line 106 and the wire 72 of said end of the coil 70.As a result, the connection and the section of the wire 72 on the bottomsurface 50 b of the base plate 50 can be protected and insulated fromthe outside by the resin 102.

The resin 102 used here is a resin whose main ingredient is a resin thatis cured using both ultraviolet irradiation and heating, such as anepoxy-acrylic-hybrid resin.

The wire 72 of said end of the coil 70 is welded to the driving line106. This welding is performed by pressing the wire 72 of said end ofthe coil 70 against the driving line 106 and by heating under thepressure. This enables one to connect the wire 72 to the driving line106 without soldering.

It is common in the case of soldering to apply flux to the portion to besoldered. If the flux is not removed after soldering, the remaining fluxmay cause rust. Therefore, the remaining flux should be cleaned up aftersoldering. However, the space where the flux used to be before cleaningbecomes empty after cleaning. The space may cause a leak from outside tothe side of the base plate 50 at the upper surface 50 a. In the presentembodiment, such an issue does not occur since it does not use solderingor a flux.

The operation of the brushless motor 100 as described above shall bedescribed below. The three-phase driving current is supplied to thecoils 70 through the driving line 106 to rotate the brushless motor 100.The driving fluxes are generated along the twelve teeth by making thedriving current flow through the coils 70. These driving fluxes givetorque to the cylindrical magnet 40, and the whole rotor rotates.

Described below is the related art in which the hole of the base plateis closed by soldering without using the resin 102. FIG. 2A is a partialcross-sectional view of the brushless motor 300 according to the relatedart. FIG. 2B is a partial bottom view of the brushless motor 300according to the related art. FIG. 2A is a partial cross-sectional viewof the brushless motor 300 near the hole 354 arranged on the base plate350. FIG. 2B is a bottom view of the brushless motor 300 near the hole354 of the base plate 350. FIG. 2A is the view that is sectioned alongthe line B-B, as illustrated in FIG. 2B.

The description will be omitted with regard to the portion(s) of thebrushless motor 300 that is/are not shown in FIG. 2A or FIG. 2B sincethe portion(s) has/have a structure similar to that/those of thebrushless motor 100 according to the first embodiment of the presentinvention.

A wire 372 of one end of a coil 370, which is wound around a tooth of alaminated core 360, is drawn out from an upper surface 350 a of a baseplate 350 to a bottom surface 350 b through a hole 354 of the base plate350. An insulation film 308 and a driving line 306 are arranged on thebottom surface 350 b of the base plate 350 so that they cover the hole354. A hole in communication with the hole 354 is arranged on each thedriving line 306 and the insulation film 308. The wire 372 is drawn outto the bottom surface 350 b of the base plate 350 through the hole ofthe driving line 306 and the hole of the insulation film 308. Thedriving line 306 and the wire 372 are electrically connected to eachother by soldering. In addition, in order to keep the airtight qualityof the side of the base plate 350 at the upper surface 350 a, solderingis performed so that the solder 390 closes up the opening between thewire 372 and the hole arranged on the driving line 306. In the processof soldering, a flux is used. The flux sticks to the driving line 306,the wire 372, and/or the edge of the hole 354. The flux is cleaned upafter soldering.

Tiny spaces are created after cleaning up the flux. These tiny spacesmay cause a leak from outside to the side of the base plate 350 at theupper surface 350 a. There also is a possibility that a leak may occurwhere the insulation film 308 and the base plate 350 are connected orbetween the insulation film 308 and the driving line 306. If such a leakoccurs, particles may enter in the side of the base plate 350 at theupper surface 350 a from the outside, thereby deteriorating thecleanness of the air.

In the brushless motor 100 according to the present embodiment, the wire72 of said end of the coil 70 is connected to the driving line 106 at aposition other than the position of the hole 54 on the base plate 50.Furthermore, the hole 54 is plugged with the resin 102. Therefore,electrically connecting the driving line 106 and the wire 72 can beperformed independently from sealing the hole 54 of the base plate 50,thereby the reliability of each act can be increased. In particular,since the hole 54 is physically separated from the welding connectionbetween the wire 72 and the driving line 106 when the resin 102 isinjected into the hole 54 of the base plate 50, it is less possible forsuch a leak to occur, as it has in the related art, and the reliabilityof the airtight quality can be increased. As a result, it is possible tokeep the cleanness of the air (i.e., fewer particles) on the side of thebase plate 50 at the upper surface 50 a, thereby suppressing TA failure.

In the brushless motor 100 according to the present embodiment, the wire72 of one end of the coil 70 is bent after being drawn out to the bottomsurface 50 b of the base plate 50. This contributes to the thinning ofthe thickness of the resin 102. In addition, it is less likely for thewire 72 to be cut even if the brushless motor 100 thermally expands.

In the case where a liquid-like thermosetting resin of lower viscosityis used for plugging the hole 54 of the base plate 50, in the process ofmanufacturing the brushless motor, the resin may flow and spread outduring the transportation of the brushless motor into a heating furnaceafter the resin is injected into the hole 54. In this case, the hole 54may not be completely sealed. If one uses a resin of higher viscosity inorder to avoid this, it takes a longer time to fill the hole 54, and thework efficiency may be reduced. In the brushless motor 100 according tothe present embodiment, the hole 54 of the base plate 50 is plugged withthe resin that is cured using both ultraviolet irradiation and heating.In this case, in the process of manufacturing the brushless motor, theresin is injected into the hole 54, and the resin also is applied to thewelded connection between the wire 72 and the driving line 106.Immediately after that, an ultraviolet light is irradiated on the resin,thereby curing the surface of the resin. This may make it less likelythat the resin spreads out during transportation into the heatingfurnace. The brushless motor is properly heated after it is transportedinto the heating furnace, and the resin including its inside is cured.In the case where a liquid-like resin of lower viscosity is selected tobe used among resins that are cured using both ultraviolet irradiationand heating in particular, the resin can be smoothly injected in thehole 54 within a short period of time, thereby increasing the workefficiency. Furthermore, the resin is cured to its inside by heating.This may suppress the evaporation of ingredients of the resin and mayreduce the contamination of the air on the side of the base plate 50 atthe upper surface 50 a. As a result, TA failure may be suppressed.

Preferably, the resin whose main ingredient is the epoxy-acrylic-hybridresin is used as the resin that is cured using both ultravioletirradiation and heating in the brushless motor 100 according to thepresent embodiment, since the surface of the resin can be cured with theirradiation of the ultraviolet light of wavelengths of 200-400 nm withina short period of time.

Preferably, the viscosity of the resin 102 before being cured at 25Celsius degrees is in the range between 4 (Pa·s) and 16 (Pa·s). Byhaving the viscosity greater than 4 (Pa·s), the unnecessary spread-outof the resin 102 can be suppressed. By having the viscosity smaller than16 (Pa·s), the time it takes to plug up the hole 54 can sufficiently beshortened.

In the brushless motor 100 according to the present embodiment, theinsulating film is formed on at least part of the surface of the baseplate 50. In the case where a base plate is manufactured at leastthrough a process of die-casting the alloy of aluminum, it is known thata number of tiny concave portions are formed on the surface of the baseplate. If impurities, such as fine particles, stick to the tiny concaveportions, those impurities may be released to themagnetic-recording-disk side of the base plate and may cause TA failure.In the present embodiment, the insulation film is formed on the surfaceof the base plate 50. As a result, the amount of impurities, such asparticles, emitted from the tiny concave portions can be reduced.

Preferably, the insulation film is formed on the upper surface 50 a ofthe base plate 50 in terms of keeping the cleanness of the air on theside of the base plate 50 at the upper surface 50 a.

The Second Embodiment

The main difference between the brushless motor 400 according to thesecond embodiment and the brushless motor 100 according to the firstembodiment resides in the shape of the insulation film.

FIG. 3A is a partial cross-sectional view of the brushless motor 400according to the second embodiment. FIG. 3B is a partial bottom view ofthe brushless motor 400 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 3A is apartial cross-sectional view of the brushless motor 400 near the hole 54arranged on the base plate 50. FIG. 3B is a bottom view near the hole 54of the base plate 50. FIG. 3A is the view that is sectioned along theline C-C, as illustrated in FIG. 3B.

The description will be omitted with regard to the portion(s) of thebrushless motor 400 that is/are not shown in FIG. 3A or FIG. 3B sincethe portion(s) has/have a structure similar to that/those of thebrushless motor 100 according to the first embodiment of the presentinvention.

The insulation film 408 is extended so that it covers the hole 54 of thebase plate 50. A hole 410 in communication with the hole 54 is arrangedon the insulation film 408. The wire 72 of said end of the coil 70 isdrawn out to the side of the base plate 50 at the bottom surface 50 bthrough the hole 410 of the insulation film 408.

The hole 410 of the insulation film 408 is formed so that the hole 410is concentric with the hole 54 of the base plate 50. The diameter of thehole 410 of the insulation film 408 is smaller than the diameter of thehole 54 of the base plate 50. Therefore, the hole 410 of the insulationfilm 408 does not overlap with the edge 54 a of the hole 54 of the baseplate 50, the edge 54 a being on the side at the bottom surface 50 b.This enables one to position the wire 72 inside the hole 54 of the baseplate 50 so that the wire 72 does not touch the wall of the hole 54. Asa result, a short circuit is less likely to occur between the wire 72and the base plate 50.

A liquid-like resin 402 is injected into the hole 54 of the base plate50 and cured in order to keep the airtight quality of the side of thebase plate 50 at the upper surface 50 a where it is filled with cleanair. The resin 402 is applied so that the resin 402 covers the weldedconnection between the driving line 406 and the wire 72 of said end ofthe coil 70.

In the brushless motor 400 according to the present embodiment, the hole410 in communication with the hole 54 is arranged on the insulation film408. Therefore, the reliability of the insulation between the wire 72and the bottom surface 50 b of the base plate 50 can be increased.

Since the edge 54 a on the side of the base plate 50 at the bottomsurface 50 b is sharp, a short circuit is more likely to occur betweenthe wire 72 and the base plate 50 if the wire 72 touches the edge 54 a.In the brushless motor 400 according to the present embodiment, the edge54 a on the side of the base plate 50 at the bottom surface 50 b iscovered by the insulation film 408. As a result, a short circuit therecan be prevented.

The Third Embodiment

The main difference between the brushless motor 500 according to thethird embodiment and the brushless motor 100 according to the firstembodiment resides in the shape of the insulation film.

FIG. 4A is a partial cross-sectional view of the brushless motor 500according to the third embodiment. FIG. 4B is a partial bottom view ofthe brushless motor 500 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 4A is apartial cross-sectional view of the brushless motor 500 near the hole 54arranged on the base plate 50. FIG. 4B is a bottom view near the hole 54of the base plate 50. FIG. 4A is the view that is sectioned along theline D-D, as illustrated in FIG. 4B.

The description will be omitted with regard to the portion(s) of thebrushless motor 500 that is/are not shown in FIG. 4A or FIG. 4B sincethe portion(s) has/have a structure similar to that/those of thebrushless motor 100 according to the first embodiment of the presentinvention.

With regard to the edge 54 a of the hole 54 of the base plate 50 on theside at the bottom surface 50 b, the insulation film 508 covers aportion of the edge 54 a, the portion being on the side closer to thewelded connection between the driving line 506 and the wire 72 of saidend of the coil 70. Preferably, the insulation film 508 covers about 30percent of the edge 54 a in order to easily position the wire 72 insidethe hole 54 of the base plate 50.

A liquid-like resin 502 is injected into the hole 54 of the base plate50 and cured in order to keep the airtight quality of the side of thebase plate 50 at the upper surface 50 a where it is filled with cleanair. The resin 502 is applied so that the resin 502 covers the weldedconnection between the driving line 506 and the wire 72 of said end ofthe coil 70.

Since the edge 54 a on the side of the base plate 50 at the bottomsurface 50 b is sharp, a short circuit is more likely to occur betweenthe wire 72 and the base plate 50 if the wire 72 touches the edge 54 a.In the brushless motor 500 according to the present embodiment, theinsulation film 508 covers a portion of the edge 54 a, the portion beingon the side closer to the welded connection between the driving line 506and the wire 72. As a result, a short circuit at the edge 54 a can beprevented.

The Fourth Embodiment

The main difference between the brushless motor 600 according to thefourth embodiment and the brushless motor 400 according to the secondembodiment resides in the shape of the driving line.

FIG. 5A is a partial cross-sectional view of the brushless motor 600according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 5B is a partial bottom view ofthe brushless motor 600 according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 5A is apartial cross-sectional view of the brushless motor 600 near the hole 54arranged on the base plate 50. FIG. 5B is a bottom view near the hole 54of the base plate 50. FIG. 5A is the view that is sectioned along theline E-E, as illustrated in FIG. 5B.

The description will be omitted with regard to the portion(s) of thebrushless motor 600 that is/are not shown in FIG. 5A or FIG. 5B sincethe portion(s) has/have a structure similar to that/those of thebrushless motor 400 according to the second embodiment of the presentinvention.

The driving line 606 is extended so that it covers the hole 54 of thebase plate 50. A hole 610 in communication with the hole 54 is arrangedon the driving line 606. The hole 610 of the driving line 606 is formedso that the hole 610 is concentric with the hole 612, the hole 612 beingarranged on the insulation film 608 in a manner similar to thatdescribed in the second embodiment. The diameter of the hole 610 of thedriving line 606 is smaller than the diameter of the hole 612 on theinsulation film 608. Therefore, the hole 610 of the driving line 606does not overlap with the edge 54 a of the hole 54 of the base plate 50,the edge 54 a being on the side at the bottom surface 50 b.

The wire 72 of said end of the coil 70 is drawn out to the side of thebase plate 50 at the bottom surface 50 b through the hole 612 of theinsulation film 608 and the hole 610 of the driving line 606.

A liquid-like resin 602 is injected into the hole 54 of the base plate50 and cured in order to keep the airtight quality of the side of thebase plate 50 at the upper surface 50 a where it is filled with cleanair. The resin 602 is applied so that the resin 602 covers the weldedconnection between the driving line 606 and the wire 72 of said end ofthe coil 70.

In the brushless motor 600 according to the present embodiment, the wire72 is positioned inside the hole 54 of the base plate 50 so that thewire 72 does not touch the wall of the hole 54. As a result, a shortcircuit is less likely to occur between the wire 72 and the base plate50.

The Fifth Embodiment

The main difference between the brushless motor 700 according to thefifth embodiment and the brushless motor 600 according to the fourthembodiment resides in the shape of the base plate.

FIG. 6A is a partial cross-sectional view of the brushless motor 700according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 6B is a partial bottom view ofthe brushless motor 700 according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 6A is apartial cross-sectional view of the brushless motor 700 near the hole754 arranged on the base plate 750. FIG. 6B is a bottom view near thehole 754 of the base plate 750. FIG. 6A is the view that is sectionedalong the line F-F, as illustrated in FIG. 6B.

The description will be omitted with regard to the portion(s) of thebrushless motor 700 that is/are not shown in FIG. 6A or FIG. 6B sincethe portion(s) has/have a structure similar to that/those of thebrushless motor 600 according to the fourth embodiment of the presentinvention.

A concave portion 756 is arranged on the bottom surface 750 b of thebase plate 750. A driving line 706 and an insulation film 708 arearranged in the concave portion 756. The concave portion 756 is arrangedalong the arrangement path of the FPC. The depth D of the concaveportion 756 is determined so that the resin 702 does not stick out fromthe bottom surface 750 b of the base plate 750. The depth D of theconcave portion 756 may be determined by experiment so that thestiffness of the base plate 750 does not decrease below the requiredlevel.

The arrangement of the driving line 706 and the insulation film 708 withregard to the hole 754 of the base plate 750 is substantially the sameas that in the fourth embodiment. The way of drawing out the wire 72 andthe way of applying the resin 702 are also substantially the same asthose in the fourth embodiment.

In the brushless motor 700 according to the present embodiment, thethickness of the brushless motor 700 can be reduced.

Above is an explanation based on the exemplary embodiments. Theseembodiments are intended to be illustrative only, and it will be obviousto those skilled in the art that various modifications to constitutingelements and processes could be developed and that such modificationsare also within the scope of the present invention.

For example, the concave portion in which a driving line is arranged maybe arranged on the bottom surface of the base plate in any one of thefirst to third embodiments.

In any one of the first to fifth embodiments, the hole of the base platemay be plugged with the resin so that the resin sticks out from the holeof the base plate on the upper surface of the base plate. To illustratethis, a variation of the brushless motor 600 according to the fourthembodiment is described below. FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional viewof the brushless motor 800, in particular near the hole 54 arranged onthe base plate 50, according to the variation. As shown in FIG. 7, thehole 54 of the base plate 50 is plugged with the resin 802 so that theresin 802 sticks out from the hole 54 of the base plate 50 on the uppersurface 50 a of the base plate 50.

Among the processes of manufacturing brushless motors, there is aprocess in which a brushless motor is cleaned by ultrasonic cleaningafter the resin that has been injected into the hole of the base platehas been cured. In this process, if the freely-moving section of thewire of said end of the coil is long, the section may resonate with(vibrate in synch with) the ultrasonic wave and may be cut. In thebrushless motor according to this variation, the freely-moving sectionof the wire of said end of the coil can be made shorter than in the caseof the first to fifth embodiments. Therefore, it is less likely that thewire is cut as described above. In addition, since the power of theultrasonic wave can be increased in the ultrasonic cleaning, thebrushless motor can be cleaned more efficiently.

In the description of the first to fifth embodiments of the presentinvention, the focus is on the wire at the end of winding coils.However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, inthe case where it is necessary to draw out the wires at both the end andthe beginning of winding coils to the bottom surface of the base plate,the technical aspect described in the first to fifth embodiments can beapplied to the wire at the beginning of the winding coils.

In any one of the first to fifth embodiments, the wire of one end of thecoil may be spot welded to the driving line. In this case, since thewelded connection can be made smaller, the size of the driving line,particularly its width, can be reduced. As a result, the brushless motorcan be further miniaturized.

According to experiments performed by the present inventors, it isconfirmed that the welded portion could be made sufficiently small byapplying a current of 500-1000 A during a period of time of 20-80 μs, inthe case where the diameter of the wire of said end of the coil is 0.23mm.

The first to fifth embodiments of the present invention describe thecase where the wire of one end of the coil is welded to the drivingline. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Forexample, the wire of one end of the coil may be connected to the drivingline by any connection means. The connection may be performed bysoldering.

The first to fifth embodiments of the present invention describe thecase where the brushless motor comprises the FPC. However, the presentinvention is not limited to this. For example, the driving line of theFPC may be a strip-shaped (or ribbon-shaped or foil-shaped) wiring. Theinsulation film of the FPC may be a strip-shaped (or ribbon-shaped orfoil-shaped) insulator. In the case where the insulator is formedincluding polyimide in particular, the heat resistance of the insulatormay increase and the deformation due to heat generated when the wire ofone end of the coil is welded to the driving line may be reduced.

The first to fifth embodiments of the present invention describe theso-called outer-rotor type of brushless motor in which the magnet islocated outside the laminated core. However, the present invention isnot limited to this. For example, the present invention may be appliedto the so-called inner-rotor type of brushless motor in which the magnetis located inside the laminated core.

The first to fifth embodiments of the present invention describe thecase where the sleeve is fixed to the base plate and the shaft rotateswith respect to the sleeve. However, the present invention is notlimited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to ashaft-fixed type of brushless motor in which the shaft is fixed to thebase plate and the sleeve and the hub rotate together with respect tothe shaft.

The first to fifth embodiments describe the case where a laminated coreis used. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The coredoes not have to be a laminated core.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed using specific terms, such description is for illustrativepurposes only, and it is to be understood that changes and variationsmay be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A disk drive device, comprising: a hub on which arecording disk is to be mounted; a base rotatably supporting the hub onone surface of the base through a bearing unit; a core fixed on said onesurface of the base, the core having a ring portion and a plurality ofteeth that extend radially from the ring portion; coils wound around theplurality of teeth; and a flexible printed circuit that includes adriving line for supplying a current to the coils, wherein a wire of oneend of one of the coils is drawn out to the other surface of the basethrough a hole arranged on the base, and wherein one end of the flexibleprinted circuit to which end the wire is connected is located at apredetermined distance away from the edge of the hole arranged on thebase, and wherein a concave portion is arranged on the other surface ofthe base, and wherein the driving line is arranged in the concaveportion, and wherein the wire is bent above the hole arranged on thebase, and wherein the wire is connected to the driving line at aposition other than the position of the hole arranged on the base, andwherein the hole arranged on the base is plugged with a resin, andwherein, with regard to a portion of the other surface of the base whichis between the edge of the hole arranged on the base and the one end ofthe flexible printed circuit, a section of the wire which is on saidportion of the other surface of the base is contained in the resin. 2.The disk drive device according to claim 1, wherein the resin with whichthe hole arranged on the base is plugged is applied so that the resincovers the connection between the driving line and the wire of said endof said coil.
 3. The disk drive device according to claim 1, wherein amiddle section of the wire between the hole arranged on the base andsaid coil is glued onto the core.
 4. The disk drive device according toclaim 1, further comprising a supporting member arranged to support thewire of said end of said coil with respect to the surface of the holearranged on the base by intervening between the wire and the surface ofthe hole, wherein the supporting member sticks out, along the wire, fromthe hole arranged on the base on said one surface of the base.
 5. Thedisk drive device according to claim 1, wherein the flexible printedcircuit further includes an insulator arranged to insulate the drivingline against the other surface of the base, and wherein the insulatorincludes polyimide.
 6. The disk drive device according to claim 1,wherein the base that includes an alloy of aluminum is formed, andwherein a film for insulation is formed on a surface of the base.
 7. Thedisk drive device according to claim 1, wherein, with regard to wires,both the hole arranged on the base and the concave portion onlyaccommodate the wire of said end of said coil.
 8. A disk drive device,comprising: a hub on which a recording disk is to be mounted; a baserotatably supporting the hub on one surface of the base through abearing unit; a core fixed on said one surface of the base, the corehaving a ring portion and a plurality of teeth that extend radially fromthe ring portion; coils wound around the plurality of teeth; and aflexible printed circuit that includes a driving line for supplying acurrent to the coils, wherein a wire of one end of one of the coils isdrawn out to the other surface of the base through a hole arranged onthe base, and wherein one end of the flexible printed circuit to whichend the wire is connected is located at a predetermined distance awayfrom the edge of the hole arranged on the base, and wherein the wire isbent above the hole arranged on the base, and wherein the wire isconnected to the driving line at a position other than the position ofthe hole arranged on the base, and wherein the hole arranged on the baseis plugged with a resin, and wherein, with regard to a portion of theother surface of the base which is between the edge of the hole arrangedon the base and the one end of the flexible printed circuit, a sectionof the wire which is on said portion of the other surface of the base iscontained in the resin, the disk drive device further comprises asupporting member arranged to support the wire of said end of said coilwith respect to the surface of the hole arranged on the base byintervening between the wire and the surface of the hole, wherein thesupporting member sticks out, along the wire, from the hole arranged onthe base on said one surface of the base.
 9. The disk drive deviceaccording to claim 8, wherein the resin with which the hole arranged onthe base is plugged is applied so that the resin covers the connectionbetween the driving line and the wire of said end of said coil.
 10. Thedisk drive device according to claim 8, wherein a middle section of thewire between the hole arranged on the base and said coil is glued ontothe core.
 11. The disk drive device according to claim 8, wherein theflexible printed circuit further includes an insulator arranged toinsulate the driving line against the other surface of the base, andwherein the insulator includes polyimide.
 12. The disk drive deviceaccording to claim 8, wherein the base that includes an alloy ofaluminum is formed, and wherein a film for insulation is formed on asurface of the base.
 13. A disk drive device, comprising: a hub on whicha recording disk is to be mounted; a base rotatably supporting the hubon one surface of the base through a bearing unit; a core fixed on saidone surface of the base, the core having a ring portion and a pluralityof teeth that extend radially from the ring portion; coils wound aroundthe plurality of teeth; and a magnet fixed to the hub, the magnet beingmagnetized for driving with a plurality of poles along thecircumferential direction and arranged to radially face the plurality ofteeth, wherein a flexible printed circuit that includes a driving linefor supplying a current to the coils and a strip-shaped insulator isprovided on the other surface of the base, and wherein a wire of one endof one of the coils is drawn out to the other surface of the basethrough a hole arranged on the base, and wherein the wire is insulatedagainst the other surface of the base by the strip-shaped insulator, andwherein the wire is connected to the driving line at a position otherthan the position of the hole arranged on the base, and wherein the holearranged on the base is plugged with a resin.
 14. The disk drive deviceaccording to claim 13, wherein the strip-shaped insulator is located ata predetermined distance away from the edge of the hole arranged on thebase.
 15. The disk drive device according to claim 13, wherein an edgeof one end of the strip-shaped insulator is arranged to overlap with thehole arranged on the base so that the hole arranged on the base ispartly covered by the one end of the strip-shaped insulator and that thewire of said end of said coil is drawn out to the other surface of thebase through a portion of the hole arranged on the base which is notcovered by the one end of the strip-shaped insulator, and wherein, withregard to an edge of the hole arranged on the base on a side of theother surface of the base, the strip-shaped insulator covers a portionof the edge of the hole, the portion being on the side of the connectionbetween the driving line and the wire of said end of said coil
 16. Thedisk drive device according to claim 13, wherein the resin with whichthe hole arranged on the base is plugged is applied so that the resincovers the connection between the driving line and the wire of said endof said coil.
 17. The disk drive device according to claim 13, wherein amiddle section of the wire between the hole arranged on the base andsaid coil is glued onto the core.
 18. The disk drive device according toclaim 13, further comprising a supporting member arranged to support thewire of said end of said coil with respect to the surface of the holearranged on the base by intervening between the wire and the surface ofthe hole, wherein the supporting member sticks out, along the wire, fromthe hole arranged on the base on said one surface of the base.
 19. Thedisk drive device according to claim 13, wherein a concave portion isarranged on the other surface of the base along an arrangement path ofthe flexible printed circuit, and wherein the driving line is arrangedin the concave portion.
 20. The disk drive device according to claim 13,wherein, with regard to wires, both the hole arranged on the base andthe concave portion only accommodate the wire of said end of said coil.